Boys Noize
Alexander Ridha | |
|---|---|
| Born | Alexander Ridha August 22, 1982 |
| Other names | Boys Noize, Kid Alex |
| Occupation(s) | Electronic music producer, songwriter, DJ |
| Years active | 2000s–present |
| Known for | Boysnoize Records founder; collaborations with A$AP Rocky, Frank Ocean, Skrillex; part of Dog Blood and Octave Minds |
| Notable work | Production of Frank Ocean's "DHL"; co-writing Lady Gaga's "Rain on Me" |
Alexander Ridha (born 22 August 1982), professionally known as Boys Noize, is an electronic music producer, songwriter, and DJ of German-Iraqi descent. He has gained recognition for his collaborations with artists like A$AP Rocky, Tommy Cash, and Frank Ocean, notably producing Ocean's track "DHL". His remix work spans prominent names such as Daft Punk, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Snoop Dogg, and Depeche Mode. In 2005, Ridha established Boysnoize Records and further expanded his ventures by launching the conceptual label Ones and Zeroes in 2025.
Ridha is also part of the duo Dog Blood alongside Skrillex and forms one half of Octave Minds with Chilly Gonzales. In 2012, Rolling Stone included Boys Noize in their Top 10 list of "DJs that rule the Earth." His 2019 Grammy nomination was for the house collaboration “Midnight Hour” with Skrillex featuring Ty Dolla Sign, and he contributed as a co-writer to Lady Gaga’s Grammy-winning track "Rain on Me."
Biography
Beginning his career early, Ridha started producing and DJing under the alias Kid Alex, supporting acts like Felix Da Housecat and DJ Hell. He has been honored as one of Rolling Stone's "Top 10 DJs Who Rule The World," secured Beatport's "Best Electronic Act" award three years running, and earned the Independent Music Award in 2010. His sound merges elements of hip-hop, disco influences, heavy noise, and electro house.
Ridha’s initial releases appeared on labels such as International Deejay Gigolos Records, Kitsuné Music, and Turbo Recordings before founding Boysnoize Records in 2005. His remix repertoire includes work for acclaimed artists like David Lynch, N.E.R.D, Depeche Mode, Snoop Dogg, Daft Punk, Justice, and the Chemical Brothers. Additionally, he has produced tracks for artists including Kelis, UK rapper Kano, The Black Eyed Peas, and South Korean group BIGBANG. Among his notable collaborations is the production on New York-based band Scissor Sisters’ single "Only The Horses" from their album "Magic Hour".
In August 2010, Ridha took on full production and co-writing duties for Chilly Gonzales’ album Ivory Tower. He also teamed up with Erol Alkan on projects such as "Death Suite" / "Waves" released through BNR and "Lemonade" / "Avalanche" on Phantasy Sound.
October 2010 marked the debut of Boys Noize’s sublabel BNR TRAX. His third studio album, Out of the Black, was launched in 2012. That same year, he initiated the electro side-project Dog Blood with Skrillex, performing at the 2013 Miami edition of the Ultra Music Festival.
The year 2013 saw Boysnoize Records reach its 100th release milestone, featuring remixes by The Chemical Brothers and Justice of Boys Noize tracks "XTC" and "ICH R U". In 2014, Ridha composed the theme music for the German film Who Am I – No System Is Safe and collaborated again with Chilly Gonzales to create Octave Minds. Their eponymous debut on BNR included a track with Chance the Rapper and received attention from outlets such as Pitchfork, Dazed, and The Fader.
The Go Hard EP was released via Beatport in 2013. In August 2015, Ridha worked alongside Jean-Michel Jarre on "The Time Machine," featured on Electronica 1: The Time Machine.
His fourth studio album, Mayday (2016), showcased collaborations with Benga, Remy Banks, Poliça, Hudson Mohawke, and Spank Rock. Characterized as a defiant statement against conformity, it reached number eight on Billboard’s Top Dance/Electronic Albums chart.
In 2025, Ridha introduced an experimental concept label named Ones and Zeroes, launching with a compilation featuring 22 artists. That same year, he supported Nine Inch Nails on their Peel It Back Tour, joining them nightly for an EDM-inspired performance segment.
Discography
Albums and EPs
Studio albums as primary artist
| Album Title | Release Information | Highest Chart Positions | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Belgium (Flanders) | Belgium (Wallonia) | France | Switzerland | US Dance/Electronic | US Heatseekers | ||
| Oi Oi Oi |
|
65 | — | 95 | — | — | — |
| Power |
|
24 | 62 | 144 | — | 23 | — |
| Out of the Black |
|
49 | 49 | 123 | 90 | 23 | 42 |
| Strictly Raw Vol. 1 |
|
— | — | — | — | — | — |
| Mayday |
|
87 | 128 | — | — | — | — |
| Strictly Raw Vol. 2 |
|
— | — | — | — | — | — |
| Strictly Bvnkers Vol. 1 |
|
— | — | — | — | — | — |
| +/- |
|
— | — | — | — | — | — |
Note: "—" indicates the album did not chart or was not distributed in that region.
Remix albums
- Oi Oi Oi (Remixed), released in 2008
- Challengers (MIXED), released in 2024
DJ mix compilations
- Bugged Out! Presents Suck My Deck (Mixed by Boys Noize) (2008)
- I Love Techno 2008 (Mixed by Boys Noize) (2008)
- Radio Soulwax Mix (2009)
- Mixmag Presents Electro Techno Thunder! (2009)
- South West Four Clapham Festival Preview (2010)
- FABRICLIVE 72: Boys Noize (2013)
- BNR10YR Bang Mix (Mixed by Boys Noize) (2013)
Extended plays
| EP Title | Release Details |
|---|---|
| The Bomb / Boy Neu |
|
| Are You In? |
|
| Erole Attack |
|
| Optic / He-Man |
|
| Kill the Kid |
|
| Adonis Remix |
|
| HARDC0RE DR3AMZ (collaboration with Rico Nasty) |
|
Collaborations
| Album Title | Release Information | Contributors |
|---|---|---|
| Thomas |
|
PUZIQUe (Boys Noize and D.I.M.) |
| Don't Go |
|
PUZIQUe (Boys Noize and D.I.M.) |
| Waves / Death Suite |
|
Erol Alkan and Boys Noize |
| Waves Remake |
|
Erol Alkan, Boys Noize, and Gonzales |
| Avalanche / Lemonade |
|
Boys Noize and Erol Alkan |
| Avalanche (Terminal Velocity) |
|
Boys Noize and Erol Alkan featuring Jarvis Cocker |
| Working Together |
|
Boys Noize and Chilly Gonzales |
| Shizzo |
|
Boys Noize and Housemeister |
| Roland Rat / Brain Storm |
|
Erol Alkan and Boys Noize |
| #1 |
|
Handbraekes (Boys Noize and Mr. Oizo) |
| Roland Rat / Brain Storm Remixes |
|
Erol Alkan and Boys Noize |
| Middle Finger |
|
Dog Blood (Boys Noize and Skrillex) |
| Middle Finger Pt. 2: The Remixes |
|
Dog Blood (Boys Noize and Skrillex) |
| #2 |
|
Handbraekes (Boys Noize and Mr. Oizo) |
| Octave Minds |
|
Octave Minds (Boyz Noise and Chilly Gonzales) |
| 100 |
|
Tiga and Boys Noize |
| 100 Remixes |
|
Tiga and Boys Noize |
| #3 |
|
Handbraekes (Boys Noize and Mr. Oizo) |
| Midnight Hour |
|
Skrillex, Boys Noize, and Ty Dolla Sign |
| Why Not? |
|
Boys Noize and Francis and the Lights |
Singles
Singles as lead artist
| Track Title | Release Data & Details | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| "Volta 82" |
| |||||||||||||||
| "Feel Good (TV=Off)" |
| |||||||||||||||
| "& Down" |
| |||||||||||||||
| "Don't Believe the Hype" |
| |||||||||||||||
| "Lava Lava" |
| |||||||||||||||
| "Starter" |
| |||||||||||||||
| Transmission (Pt. 1 and Pt. 2) |
| |||||||||||||||
| 1010 / Yeah |
| |||||||||||||||
| Nott / Trooper |
| |||||||||||||||
| "Adonis" |
| |||||||||||||||
| Sessions Pt. 1 |
| |||||||||||||||
| "XTC" |
| |||||||||||||||
| "What You Want" |
| |||||||||||||||
| "Ich R U" |
| |||||||||||||||
| "Go Hard" |
| |||||||||||||||
| "Alarm" |
| |||||||||||||||
| "Cerebral" |
| |||||||||||||||
| "Overstayer" |
| |||||||||||||||
| "100" |
| |||||||||||||||
| "Overthrow" |
| |||||||||||||||
| "Euphoria" (featuring Remy Banks) |
| |||||||||||||||
| "Starchild" (featuring Polica) |
| |||||||||||||||
| "Birthday" |
| |||||||||||||||
| "Midnight" |
| |||||||||||||||
| "Disco Inferno" |
| |||||||||||||||
| "Orange" (with Virgil Abloh) |
* Year Released : 2018 * Label : Boysnoize Records | |||||||||||||||
| "Killer" (featuring Steven A. Clark) |
* Year Released : 2018 * Label : Boysnoize Records |
- | "Buchla 100" |
* Year Released :2020 * Label :Boysnoize Records |
- | "Girl Crush" (featuring Rico Nasty) |
* Year Released :2020 * Label :Boysnoize Records |
- | "Mvinline" |
* Year Released :2020 * Label :Defected Records |
- | "All I Want" (featuring Jake Shears) |
* Year Released :2021 * Label :Defected Records |
- | "FVKVRVND" |
* Year Released :2024 * Label :Hard Records |
Collaboration tracks
| Track Title | Release Information | Collaborating Artists | Associated Album | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| "The Ultimate" |
|
Feadz with Boys Noize | The T.U.F.F. | |
| "Feeling" |
|
Boys Noize alongside BIGBANG | Alive (Japanese Edition) | |
| "I Like It" |
|
G-Dragon featuring Zion.T and Boys Noize | Coup d'Etat | |
| "#Capture the City" |
|
Boys Noize collaborating with Yoon Mirae (윤미래) | #Capture the City – Single | |
| "The Time Machine" |
|
Jean Michel Jarre in partnership with Boys Noize | Electronica 1: The Time Machine | |
| "L.C.S." |
|
FEMM, produced by Boys Noize | Pow!/L.C.S. | |
| "Babushka Boi" |
|
A$AP Rocky solo track | Non-album single | |
| "DHL" |
|
Frank Ocean, produced by Boys Noize | Non-album single | |
| "Unlock It" |
|
(Abra and Boys Noize featuring Playboi Carti) | Non-album single | |
| "Steady Pace" |
|
VTSS with Boys Noize | Non-album single | |
| "Fine Day Anthem" |
|
Collaboration between Skrillex and Boys Noize | Non-album single | |
| "Arintintin" |
|
Partnership of Rico Nasty and Boys Noize | Single from EP HVRDC0RE DR3AMZ |
Remixes
| Original Track Title | Remix Year | Original Artist(s) | Remix Album or Version Title | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| "My Way" | 2004 | Kid Alex | Kid Alex Boys Noize Mix | |
| "Space Lord" | 2004 | Monster Magnet | Boys Noize - Monster Bootnet | |
| "Banquet" | 2005 | Bloc Party | Boys Noize Vox Mix Boys Noize Dub | |
| "Everyday I Love You Less and Less" | 2005 | Kaiser Chiefs | ||
| "Personal Jesus" | 2006 | Depeche Mode | Boys Noize Classic | |
| "My Moon My Man" | 2006 | Feist | Boys Noize Classic Mix | |
| "Bom Bom Bom" | 2006 | Living Things | Boys Noize Vox Remix Boys Noize Great Dub | |
| "Le Disko" | 2006 | Shiny Toy Guns | Boys Noize Fire Mix Boys Noize Fire Dub | |
| "Lights & Music" | 2007 | Cut Copy | Boys Noize Happy Birthday Remix | |
| "Phantom Pt. II" | 2007 | Justice | Boys Noize Vox Mix Boys Noize Unreleased Turbine Remix | |
| "Putting Holes in Happiness" | 2007 | Marilyn Manson | ||
| "Sexual Eruption" | 2007 | Snoop Dogg | ||
| "Say Whoa" | 2008 | A-Trak | ||
| "Arcadia" | 2008 | Apparat | Boys Noize Reprise | |
| "Love Can't Turn Around" | 2008 | Farley 'Jackmaster' Funk | Boys Noize Started Like This Mix | |
| "Working Together" | 2008 | Gonzales | Boys Noize Vox Mix Boys Noize Dub Mix | |
| "Wrong" | 2009 | Depeche Mode | D.I.M. vs. Boys Noize Remix | |
| "Dirty & Hard" | 2009 | Djedjotronic featuring Spoek | Boys Noize's Jump If You're an Idiot Mix | |
| "You Don't Know Love" | 2009 | Editors | Boys Noize Classic Mix | |
| "Beat It" | 2009 | Michael Jackson | Boys Noize 2003 Bootleg Remix | |
| "Boom Boom Pow" | 2009 | The Black Eyed Peas | Let the Beat Rock (Boys Noize Remix featuring 50 Cent) Let the Beat Rock (Boys Noize Megamix) | |
| "Hot-n-Fun" | 2010 | N*E*R*D featuring Nelly Furtado | ||
| "Swoon" | 2010 | The Chemical Brothers | Boyz Noize Summer Mix Boyz Noize Summer Instrumental |
|
| "End of Line (Tron Legacy Reconfigured)" | 2011 | Daft Punk | ||
| "Monkey Flip" | 2011 | Modeselektor featuring Nazizi and Abbas | ||
| "Nasty" | 2012 | Spank Rock | SCNTST Remix – Boys Noize Re-Did | |
| "Mein Herz brennt" | 2012 | Rammstein | ||
| "Sexy Socialite" | 2013 | Chromeo | ||
| "Bad Girls" | 2013 | Donna Summer | Boys Noize Club Mix | |
| "ProtoVision" | 2013 | Kavinsky | ||
| "Axis" | 2013 | Pet Shop Boys | ||
| "Smokin & Drinkin" | 2014 | Danny Brown
Boys Noize Smokin Mix | | |- ! scope=“row”|"Planet Rock" 2016 Afrika Bambaataa and The Soul Sonic Force | | |- ! scope=“row”|"Secret Downloading" 2016 Craig Armstrong Boys Noize Remix 2 | | |- ! scope=“row”|"Randy" 2017 Justice | | |- ! scope=“row”|"Ibifornia" 2017 Cassius | | |-
External links |
- Pages with script errors
- Articles with short description
- Articles with hCards
- No local image but image on Wikidata
- 1982 births
- German individuals of Iraqi heritage
- German club disc jockeys
- German remix artists
- DJs based in Hamburg
- Hamburg musicians
- Living persons
- Nu-disco artists
- Kitsuné Musique performers
- German electronic dance music disc jockeys
- Kitsuné Musique artists